The Human Factor

In a couple of months, I will celebrate my one year anniversary in Steemit. Sounds cliche but time really flies, doesn't it? I have been hearing this phrase - "quality content" - since the first day I am here. I am sure it is the same for everyone else.

Quality content, quality content, quality content, quality content....

Are you sick of seeing that phrase?

Quality content.

That phrase is used everywhere. Search engines (Google, Bing etc) use it, internet marketers use it, Steemit uses it.

But what does it really mean?

Sure it means a high-quality original in-your-own-words post. Original or properly cited image sources. But does it mean just that?

To me it is more than those things. I have read hundreds of Steemit posts, some were very well written, some were so and so, some were downright rubbish. As a former Curie curator, I had to spend hours wading through thousands of posts and sadly to say most of those posts fall into the category of rubbish. Sounds harsh? It's the truth.

We all know what kind of post that is consider rubbish - plagiarized content, images or videos without explanation etc.

What about those posts that fall under the good quality category? Okay, this is just my opinion or maybe you can call it my personal preference. Many of those high-quality posts were well written, the contents were unique, they were visually appealing, and the grammar was perfect. However, sometimes, there was always something missing. Let me call it the human factor.

Why are we on Steemit? There are so many blogging platforms like Wordpress, and Blogger that we can use to blog, but why are we here? Some people would probably say they want to share their expertise with the community or something along that line. Good! But honestly, why are you and I here?

For the $ of course.

But when you post something that you hope is going to gain you upvotes - you have to remember that you are writing for people. Someone somewhere is reading your post and you need to give value to that person. Value means useful information because you want their time spend reading your post will be worthwhile and ultimately gaining their votes. BUT there is something else you need to offer to your readers. A glimpse of you a.k.a your human factor.

If you are writing tutorials or informative articles like gardening, for example, write about your experiences as well. Write why this brand of hoe is awful and why you chose to buy this hoe. Share your funny anecdotes, the positives and the negatives that can help your readers - share the value. We humans like to feel belong and we need affirmation that we aren't weirdos. By sharing our experiences, our unique point-of-views, we make our posts more relatable to our readers.

There are so many well-written good quality contents out there that lack that human factor. Long and informative posts that are dry as bones.

I am not telling you to bare your soul and inner secrets for the world to see and judge. Share something personal but useful that is within the context of that post. Let me share you one excellent example. @iamjadeline wrote this amazing article No matter how hard you try, you can't please everyone. So don't!. This is what she wrote at the beginning of her post:

"Well, let's admit it. Everyone likes to be liked. Everyone loves to be loved. No one loves rejection. I will be honest with you. I grew up since young, as young as 7 years old, not wanting to hurt any of my friends. That pure notion eventually evolved into wanting to please everyone. Subtlely, I fed on the happiness of others. I sought for their approval and appreciation. As time went on, I realised I started to help my friends finished their school's homework and artwork, leaving me drained. Because I did not know how to say "No". And I was scared to see sad faces of my friends. Yes, I was 7 years old back then!"

Right there and then I feel an instant connection with her! She puts herself right smack on the top of her post and voila I want to read more! And she went on to expound her points and sharing funny anecdotes along the way:

"Another funny real-life example. My friend who is a guy just got a girlfriend, and she is petite with smaller boobs and butt. And he likes it. To him is less bulky. He told us he finds her looking pleasant and sexy. Ironically, his mum somewhat disapproves based on her belief that her daughter-in-law ought to have bigger butt for easier childbirth and larger boobs for more breastmilk. Meh."

See? That's what I called the human factor!

There are thousands other examples out there but I hope you get my point.

The painting

I wanted to try something new and recently I came across the work of a famous artist, Heather Galler and I fell in love with the vibrant colors. So I decided to imitate her style and added my personal doodle style to it. The painting is of a plain looking woman and she is so colorful! Why? Well, all of us are unique individuals with our personal preferences, personality, temperament, quirks and all. In my humble opinion, it's highly commendable if we share some bits and pieces of our "colorful" self with the world because we never know who we might reach out to through our messages, experiences, and humor. So be generous with that "human factor" and it might do you some mighty good ;)

Here are the progress photos: